The other night I was praying the Lord's prayer, and for the first time when I came to the " forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors"; I thought that I had heard it said, " forgive us our trespasses" but the word trespasses follows in the next verse; For if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. That being said I immediately thought about the word transgression and then about the use of the word sin. My immediate thought was about the differential use of all these when they all seem to indicate the same meaning or could at times, to be interchangeable. I have my own " No Trespassing" sign at the entrance of our property for legal reasons when unauthorized entry was used by company seeking easements. The clear meaning of trespassing was tied to a boundary which was not to be crossed. I am well versed in that particular legal aspect of the word "trespassing" and the violation I felt that came with the "transgression." I also, could also easily swap places with the two words. It was time to get out my American Dictionary Of The English Language, by Noah Webster 1828. Because of the different use or application of the words in question; I'll limit the definition to the spiritual sense.
I'll start with debt. " In scripture, sin; trespass; guilt; crime; that which renders liable to punishment. Forgive us our debts.
Back in the day, when I was growing up, one of the more common admonitions you heard from a parent was you owe your "whoever" an apology. You had to take ownership of your actions and make restitution thereof. In essence, there was a debt to be paid which should have held hands with regret or remorse and an admission of wrong doing that would necessitate a reciprocation. There's always a recompense to be reconciled; a price to be paid. The cross embodies the dearest price ever paid for debt; for mankind. What remains for us, the transgressors, is simply to do unto others what Jesus so graciously did for us. He asks us to do the same.
Trespasses - to transgress voluntarily any divine law or command: to violate any known rule of duty. To intrude; to go to far; to put to inconvenience by demand or importunity; as, to trespass upon the time or patience of another. Any voluntary transgression of the moral law; any violation of a known rule of duty; sin. This simply means you've crossed a line or boundary that invokes an unwarranted imposition on your part which leads to what follows. For if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Failure to forgive others there trespasses, will put a barrier, or obstruction to us as to the Father's forgiveness for our trespasses. This sounds just like what my parents would do. Make amends for my digressions or allow consequences, which still may follow; for my actions; for correction. God will do no less. That's real love. He will never leave us where we are.
Transgress - To offend by violating a law; to sin
Transgression - The act of passing over or beyond any law or rule of moral duty; the violation of a law or known principle of rectitude; breach of command.
We have officially transgressed to transgression; boundaries that should have never been breached. One might as easily said, forgive me of my sins. That would have been me; but for the Bible's use of trespass, transgress, transgression; and ultimately our arrival at sin.
Sin: The voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude or duty, prescribed by God; or any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command; a wicked act; iniquity. Sin is either a positive act in which a known divine law is violated, or it is the voluntary neglect to obey a positive divine command; or a rule of duty clearly implied in such command. Sin comprehends not actions only, but neglect of known duty, all evil thoughts, purposes,words or desires, whatever is contrary to God's commands or law.
"For he hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. "2 Corinthians 5: 21
This, to me, is one of the most astonishing verses in the bible. To understand my own sin and the culmination of all that it embodies; the trespass, transgress into transgression, the degradation of my very being into something which is completely foreign to a holy God, creating a barrier I'm unable breach on my own; and then trying to understand how my Father in heaven made His Son to be sin for me; breaks my heart. We all need to understand that there is only one way to the Father; and that being only through His Son; and then understanding the incredibly wonderful prospect of our Father; through the sacrificial offering of His Son, we are made righteous in the eyes of God.
Once again, I see the ugliness of my sin, and understand my degradation which Jesus took upon Himself through obedience to His Father, to redeem me from my bondage; and once again, I look upon the cross, and bask in the wonder of His love.
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. John 10:13
To understand redemption is to understand the cost.
